When the narrator gets back to the Brotherhood the Brothers all ask how it went and he said that the crowd was very moved, but that he went along with his "personal responsibility." The brothers are not too happy with this response, and wished he had put in more political things that would get the crowd riled up.
It is very interesting how the Brotherhood is so set on the narrator and all other Brothers essentially regurgitating what the Brotherhood has told them to say, rather than the speakers giving their own opinions. When the narrator gives a speech that is from his own experience and emotion, rather than what was written on a pamphlet, the crowd tends to get more out of the speech.
For example, when the couple is getting evicted and he gives the speech to the crowd, they starts a riot, while at some of his other speeches, like the "the Woman question" they seem to get excited, but without much outcome. When the narrator is transferred back to Harlem he is told to "keep them stirred up," and even mentions the eviction, while he then gives the narrator what to say.
It seems to me that at this point, the Brotherhood has become disinterested in the actual cause, and more wrapped up in the Brotherhood itself. I noticed this when they were scolding the narrator for the funeral. The narrator is right in saying that to publicize the funeral and turn Clifton into a martyr would further the cause, but the Brotherhood shows that they value loyalty to their organization over this. Clifton's offense to them is deserting the Brotherhood (I don't think its really because of the racist dolls), and an insult to the Brotherhood is to them much more serious than hindering the causes they claim to fight for.
ReplyDeleteThe balance between freedom and restriction that the Brotherhood imposes on the narrator is certainly an interesting paradox. They want him to stir up the crowds, but they seem to want to do so in a very scientific way -- the crowds must be excited, but under control. Using raw emotions to rile up the people seems too volatile to be acceptable in the Brotherhood, and instead, they insist that he rile them up by being passionate but simultaneously calm, political, scientific. Perhaps this gives the illusion that he, as he gives his speeches, is not succumbing to the same level of emotional vulnerability, and is therefore in control of the situation, which allows his audience to have a similar calm passion without devolving into anarchy (although, it's difficult to say anything definitive about his more scientific speeches, because we don't get to read any of them in full, which may be Ellison's way of pointing out that the speeches without emotion are less effective, and less important, at least to the development of the narrator).
ReplyDeleteThe most important part of the Brotherhood's reaction, in my opinion, is what it implies about the narrator's autonomy (or lack there of). He joined the brotherhood to make a difference. When Jack scolds him for making his own decision it becomes clear to him for the first time (and really clear to us) that he has never had any power. The Brotherhood, just like every other organization that has had power over the narrator, is keeping him working mindlessly for their own agenda.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Kai about this. I was kind of frustrated with this part of the book because the narrator finally took his own stance and gave a speech from his personal thoughts/emotions, like you said, and yet he is scolded for it. It just shows that he really is being controlled by the brotherhood, they only want him so he can speak their ideas through a different type of person (african-american) to get their point across better to the public. Although the brotherhood is consumed with themselves, the narrator at least is able to give a speech without their assignment, and I think this situation helps teach him what the brotherhood is really all about.
ReplyDeleteI think part of the Brotherhood's reaction could be fear--we haven't talked too much in depth about the endgame of the Brotherhood, but with emotion etc, the narrator has the power to really create something; and what he creates--this raw, angry, sad, happy, empowered mass of people--these people can think for themselves. They can use the Brotherhood, but they can also tear the brotherhood down. So to have people think, and be aware, is threatening to the Botherhood.
ReplyDeleteThat's the biggest thing about emotion, you can't control it, you can only direct it. So if you get the wrong message across to the people it can have devastating effects. Emotion also carries people away, it forms a mob mentality, and people do things that they usually would never do. So the narrator using emotion scares the Brotherhood.
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